Even before Saturday's win over the Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings fans were singing John Gibson's praises thanks to his massive turnaround. It seemed to take Gibson forever to get acclimated in Hockeytown, but since he first appeared to get more comfortable in the net, he's been one of the best players overall at his position.
So good, that Harvey Valentine of NHL.com wrote that "Gibson improved to 7-0-0 in his past seven appearances, tying his career high for longest winning streak, set from Oct. 31-Nov. 16, 2021. He became the first Red Wings goalie with a streak that long since Joey MacDonald (7-0-0 from Feb. 8-28, 2012)."
If Gibson snags one more win this month, he'll set a new personal milestone and begin etching his name into Red Wings history for all the right reasons. That's one remarkable turnaround for a goaltender who looked lost during the first two months of the season.
John Gibson hasn't only been relying on a good Detroit Red Wings team
Some will claim that the Red Wings as a whole have played better hockey, and they're not wrong. Through the first 21 days of December, the Wings are 8-2-1, with 39 goals scored and 30 allowed, so their solid play has helped Gibson. But opponents have outshot the Wings and, heading into Saturday's game, Detroit's Corsi For percentage at 5-on-5 was an ugly 45.5. That said, they have had their shortcomings.
That means Gibson has had to step up when called on, and he's done that. How good has he been recently? Since his seven-game winning streak began on Dec. 2, Gibson has a 0.934 save percentage, a 2.00 GAA, and two shutouts. If that wasn't impressive enough, Gibson has faced an average of 30.1 shots on goal per game, which marks yet another testament to his newfound consistency.
Should Gibson keep up his stellar play in the net and avoid reverting to the player he was in October and November, then the Wings traded for a goaltender capable of helping them make a deep playoff run. Still, the entire team must level up and play better and more consistent hockey during the back half of the season.
John Gibson and Cam Talbot will have one huge advantage in the new year
John Gibson and the second half of the tandem, Cam Talbot, are among the NHL's older goaltending tandems. The main concern is if they'll wear down as the season reaches its second half and, ultimately, the infamous "down the stretch" phase that has haunted the Red Wings in recent years.
With the Olympics giving Gibson and Talbot a guaranteed two weeks off, more than that, really, that's going to be a godsend. If they're not suffering from any ailing injuries, Gibson and Talbot should take advantage of the break to recover while watching the likes of at least Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond play some impressive hockey over in Italy.
That break is also coming at the right time of the year, as the 2026 trade deadline will be on the horizon once the league resumes play. With two fresh goaltenders and a team that's hopefully still in the Atlantic Division's top three, the vibe could end up feeling way, way more different than it has in the past two years while the Wings seek to finally end their playoff drought.